Super Bowl Ads Go Heavy on Nostalgia and Star-power

The Super Bowl ads this year were heavy on nostalgia and star power. With ad space going for as much as $7 million for 30 seconds, it's crucial for Super Bowl advertisers to both get noticed and be entertaining.

This year, Budweiser showcased a Clydesdale's recovery, GM reunited some of the cast of the “Austin Powers” trilogy and Chevrolet recreated the opening to “The Sopranos” — with one key difference. And Toyota enlisted a trio of famous “Joneses” for its Tundra ad.

ANHEUSER-BUSCH

After sitting out last year, Budweiser returns with the story of a Clydesdale horse who gets injured. But he recovers enough to gallop again thanks to the help of a vet, a stableman and a Labrador. The message? “Down never means out.”

BMW

BMW shows Arnold Schwarzenegger as Zeus, the god of the sky (or in this commercial, the god of lightning) whose wife, Salma Hayek Pinault, gives him the EV BMW iX to spice up retirement.

CHEVROLET

Chevrolet recreated “The Sopranos” opening sequence to tout its all-electric Chevy Silverado. This time, however, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow on the show that ran from 1999 to 2007, is in the driver’s seat instead of the Sopranos patriarch played by the late James Gandolfini.

GENERAL MOTORS

General Motors’ ad features characters from the “Austin Powers” movies hawking GM’s electric vehicle technology, including a reprise of Mike Myers’ role as Austin Powers’ nemesis, Dr. Evil. Sidekicks played by Rob Lowe, Seth Green and Mindy Sterling also join.

LAY'S

Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen reminisce comedically on the “good times” they’ve had over Lay’s — including being kidnapped by a stalker and Rogen’s marriage to a creepy ghost.

NISSAN

A straight-laced Eugene Levy is transformed into an action hero by taking a drive in a 2023 Nissan Z sports car, alongside stars Danai Gurira and Dave Bautista. Levy’s “Schitt’s Creek” co-star Catherine O’Hara appears in Nissan’s new Ariya electric car.

PRINGLES

A man gets his hand stuck in a Pringles can — and then has to live the rest of his life with his hand stuck in the cannister in Pringles' comedic spot.

ROCKET MORTGAGE

Anna Kendrick tells kids about the competitive housing market by using examples of classic kid toys Barbie’s Dream House and Skeletor's Castle Grayskull.

T-MOBILE

T-Mobile reunited Zach Braff and Donald Faison, stars of the sitcom “Scrubs” that aired from 2001 to 2010, to tout its ultrafast 5G wireless network.

TOYOTA

Toyota enlisted a trio of famous “Joneses” — Leslie Jones, Tommy Lee Jones and Rashida Jones — to introduce the 2022 Tundra. At the end, Nick Jonas joins the trio.